In the late seventies an extraordinary document came to light which for fifty years had been held on deposit by the bankers of the deceased John Herbert Watson, M. D. - better known to devotees of Conan Doyle as Dr. Watson. A continuous narrative in the doctor's own hand, the story opens in the... show more

In the late seventies an extraordinary document came to light which for fifty years had been held on deposit by the bankers of the deceased John Herbert Watson, M. D. - better known to devotees of Conan Doyle as Dr. Watson. A continuous narrative in the doctor's own hand, the story opens in the East End of London in 1888. Three women have been savagely murdered by Jack the Ripper. To calm the public outcry, Scotland Yard approaches London's most eminent detective, Sherlock Holmes, and asks him to investigate the mystery. The adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective and his faithful companion Dr. Watson are given a new and thrilling treatment by Michael Dibdin.

I'm a Holmes purist for the most part. I don't like it when writers bring him to modern times or put him in a sci-fi story or make him ridiculous instead of edgy and a bit scary. But Dibdin did draw me in on this one, even though he strays WAY away from Doyle's Holmes. Boy, it's quite the thriller. ...

I'm a Holmes purist for the most part. I don't like it when writers bring him to modern times or put him in a sci-fi story or make him ridiculous instead of edgy and a bit scary. But Dibdin did draw me in on this one, even though he strays WAY away from Doyle's Holmes. Boy, it's quite the thriller. ...

This book started out with a strike against it as the Holmes vs The Ripper idea has pretty much reached a complete saturation point. In fact, often while reading this novel, I felt that I had read it previously only to find a new bit here or there that would have left enough impression on me to prec...

I enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I would have expected to had I been spoiled for the ending. It reads right against the grain of the canonical stories, perhaps aggressively so, but it locates itself interstitially, taking place off-stage, between acts, a little like Paula Vogel's Desdemona...

Looking through the other reviews, I can see that either you love this book or you hate it. I'm in the first group. First, Dibdin shows you that he can capture the flavor of the old Arthur Conan Doyle stories perfectly; then, not content with merely imitating, he adds some disturbing new elements to...

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